Ripley’s Quotes

“I have got to do something, because the ghosts of 3 million Marines out there, all of whom made the Corps what it is today, are looking at me and asking the same question, ‘What are you gonna do pal? You had better do something, because we are watching you!’ To do nothing is dishonorable. That’s the way Marines think.”

“Mental endurance is an attitude that your mind imposes over your physical limitations. These limitations are real but are referred to in the Marine Corps as luxuries. You are not permitted to have physical limitations. We don’t issue those [in the Marine Corps].”

“Once you set a goal, you must never surrender. When life becomes difficult, that’s the time to buckle down, focus and work harder. Fix the goal into your mind and put every ounce of effort you have into achieving that goal. When you quit, you squander an opportunity that may never come again.”

“Mission first, Marines always.’ If you don’t do your job, then we are going to have to send someone else here and they are probably going to lose people doing it.”

“To drop dead is honorable in the pursuit of duty, whereas to quit is the highest form of dishonor.”

“If you can be a good Catholic you can be a good Marine.”

“I have never been, nor will I ever be unfaithful to my wife.”

“Your unit has to see you as a leader, and they have to gain confidence in your confidence.”

“People find it hard to believe that I never slept in Vietnam. Never was I fully unconscious. Anytime the handset on the radio clicked, I was fully awake immediately.”

“There is not a person in war who is not scared, but you can’t let fear control you.”

“Character is all those elements that require a person to focus on others rather than himself; to postpone one’s own personal desires — what I want — until the needs of others have been looked after and satisfied.”